Gigi and Shakespeare

"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." I heard that a lot as a kid. I don't think it was because I was that unthankful --I think it had much more to do with the fact that my mom is a big Anglophile and loved the Bard. (In the 5th grade, I could quote Lady Macbeth.)

In fact, I think many children are very thankful, they just have odd ways of showing us.  When they are little they are here to eat, sleep, drink, and master the ABC's and count to 10.  Being thankful, appreciative and understanding that much is being sacrificed for them is not in their little heads, and nor should it be....though it would be kinda nice for some recognition......but I guess that comes with a small or a random hug or a "I love you" out of the blue. (But, when they are a tad bit thankless, it hurts and it stings.)

Case in point, I could leave work early today, by about 30 minutes, so no worries Douglas County I'm here for ya, but I didn't leave work early...why? Because I was scared to leave early.  If I leave and pick up C Boy early from pre-school, he gets super upset! And, let me tell ya, that hurts! I got him about 30 mins early a few weeks ago and he looked at me and said, "Go away Gigi." Ouch!  Really? Wow! I must have looked stunned as the teacher said something like, "Now, Gigi is here so we need to put away the toys." And he said, AGAIN, "no I don’t' want you here."

OMG!

But, instead of bursting into tears, which I wanted to do, I instead said, "Wow, that hurts my feelings," to which he really didn't have much to say in reply.

I am super glad he likes pre-school, I mean who wouldn't, they feed you, they let you play, and they let you nap, in fact, they are big proponents of napping, which I think is GREAT! (I am pro nap myself.)  So, I'm glad he’s enjoying himself, but man, come on, home aint bad either! WE too are pro nap, and we too feed you!

Now, it will be interesting if he still feels the same way in high school when he is introduced to Algebra or Chemistry or reading Shakespeare himself...."No Gigi, don't take me home, I am working on an algorithm and reading Julius Caesar, so please go away!" Now, that’s a problem I could stand to have!

Oops, gotta go, it's 5:01 and that's just about right, not too early, not too late....

Gigi vs food

I used to be perplexed, amazed, confused and a tad bit smug when it came to children, their food and how they ate.  But now I get it.

Food and kids are just plain weird.  I kinda dread it.  The feeding them part.  It's hard.  Why?  Well, let's see.....it's too cold, it's too hot, it looks like hair (one of my favorites I must say!) that was the pulled pork from the crock pot.  And, C Boy has done that twice, so no pot roast, brisket or pulled anything for him....cause it looks like hair.  mmm hmmm.

Fruit they love.  And most veggies they love, which is strange I know and I should be rejoicing and I am, but it's still weird that they like veggies, so it fits this topic.

The other day we treated ourselves and went to IHOP.  I ordered the crepes cause they aren't too bad and I'm lazy and dont' make at home.  C Boy was very interested and was peering at them, so I asked, "would you like to try a bite?"  He said YES so I put a small piece on my fork and he took it right off,  like a fish with a worm, and he chewed and then he thought about it, and chewed some more and then thought some more and then had a look of sheer horror on his face.  I said. "you don't like?"  And he started to spit them out.  At IHOP.  At the table.  He just kinda let it all slide out.  And, I said noooo but it just kept sliding out.  It wasn't too hot, too cold, or too spicy - they were crepes with berries.  Not sure if it was the texture or the taste, but he was having none of it.

Now, if I had taken a bite back in the old days, and didn't like it, I would have been told to swallow it or at least put it in my napkin...granted, there wasn't much I didn't like, so this was not, I repeat not, a frequent occurrence but you get the point. 

I do have to admit, however, that both boys do eat well.....just not what I would expect them to eat, or what I think of being a complete meal, but as I said above, kids and what they eat is weird.  C Boy doesn't like peanut butter!  Or cheese.  That's odd, right? 

And, there's the playing with the food, broccoli looks like little trees, and they kinda do, so I get that, but what they can do with an Oreo is truly a crime.  Those poor cookies get squished, squeezed, pinched, sucked, twisted, and mauled.  And B Boy, he somehow, gets it all over his face and hands, and pants, and table.  And we're just talking about one cookie.  One small poor little cookie.  Annihilated.  By a two year old.  He looks like he dove into a vat of dirt after he eats one cookie. 

It's tough and now I understand all the tricks and recipes and cookbooks and marketing and specialized food products that are children's food.  'Cause they are weird little eaters.